Fabricated Letters in NYC

Velement fabricates custom metal letter signs in aluminum, brass, bronze, copper and stainless steel. Cut, formed, welded and finished in our own workshop, with in-house plating that lets stainless steel take a brass, bronze or copper finish.

Request a Fabricated Letter Quote

Letters Built in Our Own Workshop

A fabricated letter is built rather than cut. Metal is cut to the letterform, the returns are formed and welded to the face, the welds are ground back and the whole thing is finished as one piece. Done well it reads as a solid object. Done badly you can see every join, and on a reception wall people are standing close enough to count them.

That is why this is a workshop question rather than a purchasing question. Velement brings 30 years of architectural signage experience to fabricated letters in NYC, and we cut, form, weld, finish and plate in-house. Nothing is ordered in and re-badged, so the tolerances, the finish and the timeline are ours to hold.

That covers a single wordmark on a reception wall and it covers building identification across an estate. We work throughout the five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, northern New Jersey and Connecticut, from our facility in Hicksville, NY.

How a Fabricated Letter Is Made

Artwork and letterform check: the logo is checked for strokes too fine to fabricate and counters too tight to weld and finish cleanly. We raise it before cutting, not after.
Cutting: faces cut to the letterform from sheet, by laser or router depending on the metal, the thickness and the detail.
Forming the returns: the sides of the letter formed to the profile of the face. This is the step that decides whether a curve looks drawn or looks bent.
Welding: returns welded to the face as a continuous seam rather than tacked, so there is nothing to open up later.
Grinding and dressing: welds ground back and the edges dressed so the letter reads as one piece. This is the most labor-intensive step and the one cheap fabrication skips.
Finishing: brushed, polished, painted or plated. See Section 4.
Mounting preparation: studs, standoffs or a mounting pattern set to the wall construction, with a drilling template produced so installation is not guesswork.

In-House Plating and Finishes

We plate in-house, which means stainless steel can be finished to look like brass, bronze or copper with a range of finish variations. That matters for three practical reasons, and none of them are obvious until somebody explains them.

Cost: solid brass and bronze are expensive, and on a large wordmark the material cost is most of the price. Plated stainless gives the same look for less.
Durability: stainless holds up better than softer metals in an exterior position, particularly in a city with road salt and freeze-thaw cycles, so plating buys the appearance without the weathering behavior.
Consistency: plating is applied in our own facility, so a sign extended or repaired in two years can be matched rather than approximated.

Our Fabricated Letters

Fabricated Metal Letters

Built-up letters in aluminum, brass, bronze, copper and stainless, finished as one piece.

Reception and Lobby Letters

The core application. Seen from three feet away while people wait, so the finish and the weld dressing are the product.

Building and Exterior Identification

Building names and numbers on facades and entrances, in metals specified for the weather rather than for the sample book.

Wayfinding and Office Identification

Floor, department and room identification fabricated as a family with the reception signage rather than bought separately.

Plated and Specialty Finishes

Stainless plated to brass, bronze or copper, plus brushed, polished and painted finishes.

Illuminated Fabricated Letters

The same fabrication with LEDs inside, either lit through the face or throwing a halo behind it.

Acrylic and Mixed-Material Letters

Where the scheme calls for acrylic, or for metal and acrylic together in one sign.

Logos, Marks and Custom Shapes

Not just type. Symbols, lockups and custom profiles cut and formed to the artwork.

Repair, Refinishing and Matching

Damaged letters repaired, tired finishes redone, and additional letters fabricated to match an existing sign years later.

Metals and What They Suit

Metal	Best for	Notes
Aluminum	Most interior and exterior work, larger letters	Light, economical, takes paint and anodized finishes well. The default for size.
Stainless steel	Exterior work, high-traffic interiors, plated finishes	The most durable option in this climate, and the base for our plating. See Section 4.
Brass	Premium interiors, heritage and hospitality schemes	Warm and traditional. Solid brass is costly at scale, which is what plating answers.
Bronze	Premium and institutional work	Darker and more muted than brass. Ages, which some schemes want and others do not.
Copper	Feature and hospitality work	Distinctive, and it patinates over time unless sealed. Worth deciding up front.
Painted finishes	Brand colors, corporate identity	Matched to brand references on any base metal. Matte hides fingerprints at reception height.

Fabricated Letters by Sector

Corporate receptions and lobbies. The core market and the one that justifies the finishing standard. One wordmark, seen close, usually installed out of hours on an occupied floor.
Building and property identification. Building names and numbers on facades and entrances, in metals chosen for the exposure.
Hotels and hospitality. Entrance and lobby identification, where brass and bronze finishes do work that painted aluminum cannot.
Retail and flagship stores. Fascia and interior brand letters where a fabricated finish signals something a printed graphic does not.
Professional services. Law, finance and consultancy receptions, where the sign is part of how the firm presents itself.
Healthcare and institutional. Building and department identification with finishes that survive cleaning and heavy use.
Multifamily and amenity. Building name at the entrance and amenity identification inside, fabricated as one family.

From Logo to Installed Letters

Artwork and feasibility. We check the logo fabricates at the size you want and flag anything that will not weld or finish cleanly.
Site survey. Wall construction, access, and how the letters will be fixed and powered if they are illuminated.
Shop drawings. Letter sizes, return depths, material, finish, fixing method and mounting pattern, issued for approval.
Finish sample. A physical sample of the finish, particularly on plated work, approved before the run begins.
Fabrication. Cut, formed, welded, dressed and finished in our own workshop.
Template and installation. A drilling template produced, then installed by our own teams, out of hours where the space is occupied.

Why Businesses Choose Velement for Fabricated Letters

We fabricate in-house

Cut, formed, welded, dressed and finished here, not ordered in and re-badged.

We plate in-house

Stainless finished to brass, bronze or copper, which gives the look of solid metal with better durability and a lower material cost.

Welds dressed properly

The step cheap fabrication skips, and the one thing you notice from three feet away on a reception wall.

Feasibility raised at artwork stage

If a stroke will not fabricate cleanly we tell you before cutting, not after.

Finish approved on a sample

Especially on plated work, where the decision should be made holding the metal.

30 years in architectural signage

A New York manufacturer working alongside architects and contractors, not a catalogue reseller.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fabricated Letters

What are fabricated letters?

Letters built from sheet metal rather than cut from solid. The face is cut to the letterform, the sides are formed and welded to it, the welds are ground back and the letter is finished as one piece. They are also called built-up or dimensional letters.

What is the difference between fabricated and cut letters?

A cut letter is machined from a solid sheet or block and its thickness is the thickness of the material. A fabricated letter is built, so it can be any depth you specify, it can be hollow enough to house LEDs, and it can be made at sizes solid material could not reach. Fabricated costs more and looks substantially better at scale.

Can stainless steel be finished to look like brass?

Yes. We plate in-house, so stainless can take a brass, bronze or copper finish with a range of finish variations. You get the appearance of the softer metal with the durability of stainless and a lower material cost, which matters most on large wordmarks and exterior work.

Which metal should we use?

Aluminum for most work and for larger letters. Stainless for exterior positions and anywhere durability leads. Brass, bronze and copper where the finish is doing the work, or plated stainless where you want that look at a better price. The table above sets out the trade-offs.

Can fabricated letters be illuminated?

Yes. The same fabrication houses LEDs, either lit through the face or throwing a halo onto the wall behind. The illumination method changes the return depth, so decide it before fabrication.

Will our logo work as fabricated letters?

Most do. The exceptions are very fine strokes and very tight counters, which are hard to weld and finish cleanly at small sizes. Send us the artwork and the size and we will tell you before anything is cut.

Can you match letters to a sign we already have?

Usually, and it is worth asking. Matching an existing finish is far easier for a fabricator with in-house plating and finishing than for one buying finished letters in.

How long do fabricated letters take?

It depends on size, metal, finish and whether plating or illumination is involved. Tell us the deadline when you enquire and we will confirm whether it is achievable before you commit.

Which areas do you cover?

All five boroughs of New York City, plus Long Island, Westchester, northern New Jersey and Connecticut, from our facility in Hicksville, NY.